Microbial diversity induced by use of illicit additives to inhibit spoilage in farmed sea bass

Fish freshness consists of complex endogenous and exogenous processes. The development of novel strategies for the identification of illicit practices known to prevent and/or delay fish spoilage are still limited. The aim of the project is the identification of the effect played by an illicit additive (Cafodos) on the conservation state of sea bass at both short- (3h) and long- term (24h). Controls and treated samples were characterized by a multi-omic approach involving proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics and metagenomics. Different parts of the fish samples were studied (muscle, skin, eye, gills) and sampled through a non-invasive procedure based on EVA strips functionalized by ionic exchange resins. Data fusion methods were then applied to build models able to discriminate controls and treated samples and to identify the possible markers of the applied treatment.